Chef Roberto Ferrer is a 37-year-old Cuban native who fled the island twelve years ago to follow a personal dream. Ferrer arrived in Miami after a perilous 30-mile three-day swim from his hometown of Santiago de Cuba to the shores of Guantanamo bay. Penniless, lacking friends and family support but armed with a strong determination to succeed, solid English skills and a master’s in culinary arts, he worked at several small establishments in the Miami-Dade area and finally landed a job as a line cook in Coral Gables’ prestigious Biltmore Hotel. Within a year he became its Chef the Cuisine. At the same time he catered special events as a Sushi Chef and worked as a headline cook at the Miami Dadeland Marriott hotel.
Two years later, a tempting offer to introduce gourmet Latin food to Southern California lured him to the West Coast.

The experience proved to be a hit: within six months Ferrer was featured in Restaurant & Institutions as one of the country’s most promising chefs under 30.
Together with his Dominican-born wife Celia, who is also a restaurant manager, Ferrer started exploring new professional opportunities in the Caribbean; first, at a resort in Jamaica, then in the Dominican Republic, where he worked as a corporate executive chef.
But the prospect of opening a restaurant of their own brought the couple back to South Florida. Ferrer’s lifelong dream came true in June 2002 when Cohiba Brasserie opened its doors in Pembroke Pines. Cohiba, which is a native (Taino) Cuban word for "excellent", features mostly Latin-based fusion dishes prepared by Chef Ferrer using classic French techniques.